Amazing Resolution at High Magnification: f/2.2 Componon at 4x Magnification

Robert OToole ·

Click on the image below to check out the image quality possible with a common retail market Schneider Componon lens. Click on the image to see a larger version, right click/two finger click and select option Open Image in New Tab, or Save As. To make sure the image is full size, check the URL, it should end in 2500, if not, change it to 2500 and refresh/return.

In the past I have had really good luck with the amazing Schneider Componon 28mm f4 lens but this time I’m sharing an example made at 4.3x magnification and an astounding aperture of f/2.2! That is more than a stop wider than wide-open!

The most impressive part of the performance shown in the image above? The corners are almost identical in sharpness and resolution compared to the center. That is really hard to find in a lens, even with expensive macro lens, and almost never wide open. Center to corner consistency wide open is really, really rare.

To put the Componon’s maximum aperture in perspective, remember that a wider aperture has the potential for higher resolution (the highly regarded Mitutoyo M Plan 5x objective has a nominal aperture of only f/2.9)

I will post more about how to set up the Componon for f/2.2, until then be sure to click on the image above to a better idea of the kind of image quality that is possible with a stacked setup using a lens like the Componon.

For more about the performance of the 4/28 Componon see these tests here on Closeuphotography.com;

$50 enlarger lens vs Mitutoyo M Plan APO 5x test:

https://www.closeuphotography.com/50-dollar-componon-vs-mitutoyo-objective

The f/2.8/28 Componon f/2.8 version vs. the Mitutoyo M Plan 5X (pushed down) at 4.3x:

https://www.closeuphotography.com/schneider-kreuznach-28mm-f2-8-componon-lens

1x Test: Stacked Lenses vs. Macro Lens

Robert OToole ·

Stacking Lenses for 1X Magnification

In the range of 2x to 5x magnification I’ve seen excellent results stacking lenses so what about stacking two lenses of the same focal length for 1x magnification? I tested a big pile of enlarging lenses to find out.

Lenses in the 50mm to 75mm range are cheap and plentiful but all had issues with vignetting when stacked. Enlarging lenses over 100mm in focal length tend to be slower and or more expensive than 80mm. The Schneider 80mm f4 Componon S lens was the shortest focal length I could find without any corner shading when setup in a stacked configuration. These are cheap and easy to find.

Modern 1x macro lenses typically offer pretty decent image quality so is it possible to out-perform a typical 1x macro lens by stacking two low-cost enlarger lenses for a faster effective aperture?

Can two 4/80 lenses deliver better sharpness and image quality than a good quality 1x consumer macro lens for less cost?

Follow this link to see the full test: https://www.closeuphotography.com/1x-low-cost-lens-test